CRDO to hold Utkal Divas celebration

The Centre for Research And development of Odisha will host the 100th birth anniversary of Shri Biju Patnaik and Utkal Divas 2017 on Sunday at CIDCO Exhibition centre at Vashi, Navi Mumbai. The evening will see Minister DR Damodar Rout among others in attendance.

The event will showcase the rich cultural heritage of Odisha through Odishi dance and a musical extravaganza by eminent singers from Olywood and Bollywood.

Biju Patnaik, or ‘Biju Babu’ as he was fondly known, remains one of the tallest figures of Odisha and a key player on the national political scene. He was also a keen pilot and is credited with playing a key role in the evacuation of Sultan Sjarhir from Java at a time when Indonesia, headed by President Sukarno, had just declared itself independent of colonial rule.

Odiya acheivers will be conferred the ‘Kalinga Pritbha Sanman’ in various fields, stationed at Mumbai for the first time. To name a few, Dr Padmashree Rabi Bastia (geo-scientist), Dr Harish Mohanty (cardiologist), Guru Ravindra Atibuddhi (1ST odishi dance guru in Mumbai), Mahashweta Rai (film actor) and many others.